Weight Management

Older, Wiser, Wider?

Older, Wiser, Wider?

Call it what you will: the battle of the bulge, middle-age spread, the waistline war. Somewhere in that busy time between 30 and 40, the forces of nature -- children, work, time -- gang up on you. One day you notice last season's clothes are a little uncomfortable this time around.

All this when age has become less acceptable as an excuse for gaining weight. Just look at the current U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which make no allowance for getting heavier through the years.

The experts are getting downright stern: "Over the age of 21, a change in your waist of more than two inches is an early warning that you need to change your lifestyle," says George Blackburn, M.D., a nutrition specialist at Harvard Medical School. "There's no justification for increasing your waist size after you reach adulthood."

Getting older doesn't have to mean getting wider, the experts say. The first step in the fight against flab is knowing your opponent. Take the following quiz to find out how well armed you are.

Middle-age spread is an increasing accumulation of:

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

"In the Western world, the average 35-year-old gains about one pound of fat each year until about age 60 -- even with reduced food intake," says William D. McArdle, Ph.D., professor of health and physical education at Queens College in New York. The increase in fat puts you at higher risk for high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers.

A. Muscle
B. Fat
C. Fluid
D. All of the above

Blame middle-age spread on:

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

It's the combination that makes fighting middle-age spread so tough, says Annelle St. Charles, Ph.D., R.D., a nutritionist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Consider, says Dr. St. Charles: After age 30, youthful muscle mass begins to decrease, which means your body needs less energy to operate. Often, we don't reduce our eating to match. The genetic controls that determine where body fat will accumulate kick in. By age 30, we've usually acquired bad habits, such as skimping on exercise and eating poorly.

A. Changes in metabolic rate
B. Genetics
C. Changes in lifestyles
D. All of the above

When estimating how many calories they consumed in a day, most people:

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

In studies where volunteers' eating was recorded by hidden observers, the amounts consumed were typically 200-300 calories more than the volunteers recalled later. "We fool ourselves into thinking we're eating less than we really do -- a bad habit when your middle-age metabolism is slowing down," says Pamela Starke-Reed, Ph.D., director of the National Institute on Aging's Office of Nutrition. One solution: Try keeping a log of the food you eat over a week. From that you'll be able to accurately gauge your caloric intake.

A. Are within 25 calories of the correct figure
B. Are within 100 calories of the correct figure
C. Underestimate the correct figure by 200-300 calories
D. Overestimate the correct figure by 200-300 calories

As fat accumulates in middle age, muscle mass tends to:

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

If you don't use muscles, you lose them. That's what happens to most of us as we move through our 30s, says Susan Roberts, Ph.D., chief of the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston. "At any age, if you don't use your muscles, you lose your muscles. So when we start decreasing our activity level in our 30s and 40s, our muscle mass drops off and gets replaced by fat."

A. Decrease
B. Increase
C. Stay the same

Exercise aimed at reducing fat in specific areas:

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

Doing sit-ups won't take fat off your abdomen, Dr. McArdle says. But the calories burned will help reduce fat throughout your body.

A. Doesn't reduce the targeted area any faster than other body parts
B. Reduces twice as much fat from specific regions as general exercise
C. Reduces half as much fat from specific regions as general exercise
D. None of the above

Exercise to help eliminate middle-age spread should:

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

"The best exercise is the simplest: walking," Dr. St. Charles says. But even short bursts of activity can add up to real calorie burning. For example, try: Parking your car a few blocks from work and walking the remaining distance. Replacing coffee breaks with short walks around the block. Running in place or jumping rope during TV commercials. Taking the stairs instead of an elevator whenever possible.

A. Be aerobic in nature
B. Be aimed at increasing your activity level
C. Not require special equipment, facilities or training
D. All of the above

Your score was:

Weight Management - Older, Wiser, Wider? | MyLifeStages

Getting older doesn't have to mean getting wider, the experts say. The first step in the fight against flab is knowing your opponent. Take the following quiz to find out how well armed you are.